


She will be his downfall

by murmelinchen



Category: Divergent (Movies), Divergent - All Media Types, Divergent Series - Veronica Roth
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-04-17 09:06:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4660809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/murmelinchen/pseuds/murmelinchen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Eric is forced to supervise Tris' leadership training he gladly does so. But soon he will find out more about her than he bargained for. Will she be his downfall?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me all of a sudden and I am not so sure on where I'll go with it.  
> It is AU obviously and I already have some ideas for a second chapter and a general direction where I'm heading but nothing solid yet.  
> So, yeah - enjoy and tell me what you think :)
> 
> I do not own Divergent or its characters.

With an annoyed sigh Tris opened the door to Eric's office. She had to go through his office on her way to her own.

Right now she was angry with Eric, they had sparred like they usually did every morning since he had taken her under his wing when she chose leadership. He had smirked wickedly when Jeanine had announced it in their very first meeting, almost as if he was looking forward to torturing her. Everything went fine so far though and she learned many new things about the faction relations and he gave her special combat training.

Ever since that meeting with Jeanine two days ago though he didn't seem to be able to stop seething. Jeanine had wanted to talk to him alone after the meeting and when he came out he slammed the door close cursing heatedly under his breath. The train ride home had been awkwardly quiet.

So after yesterday's day off he had been particularly brutal on her today. He had slammed her to the ground numerous times and had taunted her not to go easy on him all the while. She had done her best but it still wasn't good enough and without as much as a 'see you later' he had gone to take a shower.

Tris rolled her eyes when she saw Eric sitting behind his desk. She had just showered and felt rather relaxed but seeing the arrogant glint in his eyes all the anger came rushing back to her. He looked up from the letter in his hands with a mocking smirk, "How are you doing?"

Turning around she didn't bother to look at him again, heading to her office she called over her shoulder in annoyance, "Sore. What do you think?"

Eric barked out a laugh and his smirk grew wide. Grabbing a box from below his table he got up to follow her. She was just about to throw the door to her office shut when he was behind her and with a hand to the door he prevented her from doing so.

He shot her a mock hurt look and when she rolled her eyes at him the corners of his mouth turned up into a smug grin, "You think you can get away from me?"

Tris blushed and wondered for the umpteenth time how he didn't seem to have an issue with personal space. His face was inches away from her and he smirked when he saw her almost squirm under his eyes. His distinctive masculine scent invaded her senses despite the shower he had taken and a thought flickered through her mind briefly. Was she too distracted by him to fight properly earlier?

She sighed when he didn't budge and turned around muttering under her breath, "Apparently not."

Before she could fall into her seat he roughly placed the box on her desk. She pinched the bridge of her nose and with an exaggerated sigh she looked up at him, "What's this?"

Opening the box slowly he grinned and when he saw her scowling at him his grin turned wicked, "Jeanine sent us toys."

Tris cleared her throat in exasperation but Eric didn't bother explaining yet. He furrowed his brows as he took out a rather big device with a handle and a round transparent screen.

He turned it around in his hands trying to figure out how to turn it on. With a huff Tris snatched it from his hands and while she looked for the switch he squinted at the piece of paper which had little to no instructions written on it, "Oh, it says to switch it on you have to..." A mechanic beep cut him off, "...the blue button."

She smirked up at him for outsmarting him for once and they both looked on as the device came to life, flashing each colourful part of the screen it beeped some more before it turned quiet again.

Tris grinned at him in triumph and he scoffed half-heartedly, looking at the instructions again he read, "Hold the device close in front of subject and press the green button."

She did as he instructed and held it in front of his face before he could protest, it beeped and the display was illuminated with radiant colours again.

Tris froze when a mechanic female voice spoke up, "Divergence: Sixty percent."

Eric scowled at her when she lowered the device, seemingly misinterpreting her look he explained, "Jeanine wants us to test the initiates with this."

She gulped and put the device back into the box, "Okay." Up until this day she had been able to hide her divergence and Four was furious when he heard that she would work with Eric so closely. He was afraid of what Eric would do if he ever found out.

Turning around slowly she felt her cheeks heat up when Eric exclaimed with a low guttural chuckle, "Hey wait!"

Before she could stop him she heard the beeping behind her back and when she turned back around to her instructor the device was just done calculating.

"Divergence: One hundred percent."

Tris bit her bottom lip when she saw Eric glaring at the screen with his mouth open. "Bullshit!" he exclaimed and pressed the button again.

Tris remained standing in front of the device waiting patiently and when the female voice repeated the result, "Divergence: One hundred percent," she fidgeted with her hands regarding Eric nervously.

Lowering the device he stared at her in disbelief. She couldn't quite comprehend the emotions which stormed across his usually rather composed face.

Tris chewed on her lips when he didn't say anything. When he lifted the device once more she stopped him mid-motion.

She felt her own hand trembling on his and with as much courage that she could muster she locked her gaze with his grey eyes, "It's not broken. It says the truth."

All emotions drained from his face suddenly and his eyes bore into hers. Whatever thoughts were racing through his head he didn't utter them aloud. And without another word he took the box and went back to his office.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This keeps talking and talking to me oO It won't leave me alone! I even have prepared ideas for the next chapter and written out almost another complete chapter.  
> Still, I will keep my focus on Last Resort, it's really important to me. So if you haven't already, please do check it out!  
> Thanks for all the lovely comments :)
> 
> It will make me so happy if you tell me what you think!
> 
> I do not own Divergent or its characters.

Cautiously Tris looked around the corner to see Eric sitting at his desk with his hands clasped together in front of his face. He looked up at her when he caught movement from the corner of his eyes. He wasn't scowling for once, in fact his face was devoid of any emotions.

"Sixty percent, huh?" Tris asked in an attempt to break the silence leaning against the wall. Eric sighed and looked away pursing his lips, "Uh-huh." He was silent for a few more moments and Tris wished that he'd just tell her what he was about to do about the situation. When he didn't say anything she went to move around his desk.

But Eric jumped up suddenly and Tris froze, he grabbed his jacket and went for the door. She stood involuntarily in his path and he glowered down at her. His nostrils flared when she didn't move aside. Looking up at his face she noticed for the first time that he had a tiny scar on the right side of his nose next to his eye. From further away one wouldn't notice but she was so close to him now that she could almost feel his breath on her face. He was behaving completely differently all of a sudden and she hated it. At least before he was teasing and taunting her, and even though she hated him for doing it she missed it now.

Tris stepped back eventually and he brushed past her roughly. Closing her eyes she flinched when Eric shut the door with a loud thud.

When she heard Eric return Tris was sitting at her desk, for the past hour she had been unable to concentrate on any of the reports she still had to work on. She heard his silent movements in the other room and listened carefully what he was doing but as soon as he was at his desk he was quiet as usual. As if nothing ever happened, so with a sigh she shook her head to focus on the letters in front of her.

Supper time came around and Eric called to her that he would leave to have some food. With a frustrated sigh Tris looked at the clock to realize it was already later than she expected and got up to do the same. Usually they went together, even if they didn't always sit at the same table. It hurt and she didn't know why.

She was poking her food absent-mindedly when Christina nudged her, "Hey, what crawled up his ass?" she muttered pointing her fork in Eric's direction. He sat bent over his food, his eyebrows were knitted tightly in deep thought. Tris shook her head and lied, "I don't know." Christina rolled her eyes, "Come on, you practically share an office." Tris shook her head and shrugged, "Really, I have no idea." Gladly it went unnoticed by her friend for once.

When Eric was done she watched him leave without another look at her. Deciding that she needed some fresh air she went outside with Christina, who was babbling about her day and how people here in Dauntless were amazing and she had so much fun at work. But Tris' thoughts wandered back to Eric, they had grown accustomed to each other's presence over the last few weeks. Even though he was always teasing her, he just demanded to give her best at all times and he was seriously interested in pushing her to become the leader everyone expected her to be. In some twisted way she realized that she liked the attention he constantly gave her.

Tris blinked rapidly when Christina was suddenly in her face, "Hey, earth to Tris! What's the matter?" She tried to give her friend a weak smile, "I'm sorry, Chris. I'm just really tired, work has been pretty busy and Eric is really not going easy on me," she pointed to a dark bruise which was forming on her forearm.

Her friend gave her a suspicious look and contemplated on what to say next for a moment. Her face broadened all of a sudden with a huge grin, "I bet his abs are really tight!" Tris almost choked on her next breath and she sputtered in exasperation, "Chris! What the hell?" Christina laughed out loud and pointed a finger at Tris, "You're blushing!"

Tris huffed and lay back on the rooftop looking up at the sky, "Of course I am, you're an insolent- Ugh!" Christina was laughing so hard she bent over and her head fell on Tris' stomach. Christina sat up with a serious expression on her face, "Now honestly, did you feel him up?"

Tris rolled her eyes and Christina broke out into laughter again. Tris got up and punched her friend on the shoulder, "Why am I even talking to you?!" The other girl drew her face into a mock pout, "Because I am your best friend!" Jumping to her feet Tris huffed, "You're lucky that you are my best friend!" She turned and they left the rooftop.

Tris returned to their office and found Eric hunched over a letter. She sat down opposite from him and watched him as he pursed his lips slightly while moving the pen neatly across the paper. For a man his handwriting was cleaner than her own.

As he didn't seem as though he would acknowledge her soon she leaned onto his desk with her elbows and her face on her palms. Frowning she pointed out, "You can't avoid me much longer." This finally made him look up but not for long, he raised an eyebrow at her and went back to writing.

Biting her lip she nervously played with one of his pens, "What are you doing anyway?" He sighed not looking up, "Not writing a report on your divergence..."

Without looking at her he shoved a small pieces of plastic on the table towards her. It looked like a tiny hard drive and Tris frowned at Eric when she noticed it was severely damaged. He pointed his finger at it not looking up from his letter, "In the instructions it says we need a memory stick for the device to record any data," he cleared his throat, "There wasn't any in it."

He didn't look at her and Tris raised her eyebrows when she realized he had purposefully destroyed the evidence about her divergence and gulped. When she didn't move he looked up at her with his pierced eyebrow raised, "What are you waiting for? Go send an e-mail to Jeanine's office and request one." His eyes bore into hers and she could see his jaw working.

He had a five a clock shadow this morning during their fight and she remembered vividly how the stubble had scratched her arm when she was able to pin his head under it. He must have shaved after because right now the skin looked soft and she wondered how it would feel like if she...

Eric cleared his throat and she shook her head, rubbing her face to hide the blush she felt creeping up her cheeks she nodded and reluctantly got up.

His eyes were already on the report again and Tris shivered at the coldness he radiated since the incident with the divergence calculating device earlier. Suppressing a sigh she trotted over into her office really wanting to bang her head on the keyboard.

After a few minutes she sent the e-mail to Eric first so he could proof read it and when he answered via e-mail she hunched her shoulders. It's 'sincerely',Stiff. Even though he was in the room next door, she imagined him rolling his eyes and slumped even further down in her seat. She corrected it quickly and hit the send button. Frustrated she turned to the reports and read with even less enthusiasm than before.

Tris blinked sleepily when she saw Eric standing in the doorway to her office. He was watching her and strangely she didn't know for how long. A tiny smirk tugged at his lips when she noticed him, "Let's call it a day, you can't even look straight anymore." She nodded stifling a yawn and shut off her computer and followed him to leave the office.

When she was right behind him he suddenly stopped and she almost bumped into him. He turned around and she saw his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. Rubbing his chin he stepped closer to her and cocked his head to the side, "Can you be honest with me?" Tris felt heat crawl up her neck and nodding she gulped, "Sure."

"Did you know it?" Unsure of her voice she nodded and felt involuntary tears prick at the corner of her eyes. "Is that why Four was mad at you for agreeing to take the position?"

Tris sighed biting her lips, it had been one reason of many but it was the one that finally caused them break up. They had a huge fight and in the heat of the argument he had pushed her aside so hard that it had left a bruise. Ever since then they rarely saw each other and she was glad it was over since they had grown apart soon after she had finished initiation.

"He thought I'd kill you if I found out, didn't he?" Eric's voice so low and Tris wondered whether she detected compassion in it so she looked up at him. His face was empty and the compassion she thought she'd heard wasn't showing, "Something like that."

He chuckled low in his throat, the first time since this morning and it made her stomach churn in a good way. She had missed it and something in his grey eyes told her that he wouldn't kill her or give her secret away.

"You know, sixty percent divergence isn't much better either. My aptitude test said Dauntless back then but apparently there is some more in me," he smirked, "Maybe it is Abnegation. After all I helped disguise your pretty little lie."

Sheepishly she looked at him and tried to smile, "Thank you," but something told her that this wasn't the end of it.

Eric sneered stepping closer, "Do you think I did this for you? You could threaten my career! Imagine if someone found out that a leader here in Dauntless is more than just Dauntless. And what's even worse that I cannot even find a divergent if they're right under my nose!" She needed a moment to comprehend and then replied in exasperation, "I'm threatening your..." She huffed angrily, "So, you don't even care about what happens to me?"

Her breath hitched when his nose was suddenly mere inches away from her own and stepping back she bumped into the wall. He placed a hand right next to her head and with a low growl murmured, "Give me one good reason why I should care about a little Stiff like you!"

She shrank even further against the wall and watched his jaw grinding in anger. His face softened for a split second when she let out a shaky breath before he returned to his usual scowl.

"I thought you were looking forward to teaching me on leadership," she stuttered, intimidated by his sudden coldness.

Eric leaned back only a fraction and Tris saw his eyes flicker to her mouth licking his lips. Returning his eyes to hers he calmly replied, "I did. And I still am. You have potential. But Tris, if you don't trust me," he gestured between them, "This is not going to work."

She gulped when he placed his other hand next to her head as well, "Now Tris," he emphasized her name, "Is there anything else I should know about you?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it amazes me how many of you like this story! I keep getting ideas and will continue to post until I run out, haha :)  
> A special thanks to all the loyal reviewers, you make me so so happy!
> 
> I do not own Divergent or its characters.

_Tris moaned when his lips molded against hers in a fervent kiss, he wrapped one arm around her waist while he brought up his other hand to cup her cheek. He pressed her against the wall with his body close to hers. His tongue was warm against her lips and she opened her mouth willingly. Wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders she drew him closer, returning the kiss in desperate urgency._

_She felt his hand slipping down her body and just when he lifted her shirt the office door swung open and Eric tore away from her. When he stepped back she saw Four standing in the doorway glaring furiously at her._

With a gasp Tris woke up sitting up straight in her bed, she clutched the blanket to her chest panting heavily. Touching her lips she realized she was drenched in sweat. She had never had a dream like that before, not even while she was with Four. She breathed out shakily rubbing her face and when she closed her eyes she saw Eric's face again. He was attractive, she couldn't deny it much longer, even the bold tattoo on his throat made her wonder how he would taste like.

Her mind drifted back to her dream so she snapped her eyes open to look across the room to see that it was just dawning. She lay back down, willing her heart to cease racing she couldn't help but think back to yesterday. Eric had been so close she could feel the heat of his body radiating towards her. Her mind had been whirring with the things she could be saying and doing.

And kissing him she had wanted to do the most, yet she was afraid of what would happen then. She wasn't even sure on how he felt towards her. There had been hints here and there that he might have other reasons for gladly taking her under his wing. But she couldn't be sure, and after the disastrous relationship with Four she also didn't want to run head over heels into the next best thing. Especially not since he was her superior, it would complicate matters even more.

So of course, even though she wished she could just outright tell him, there was nothing she had to share with Eric. She didn't even understand her own feelings, how was she supposed to address it at him then?

Letting out a frustrated huff she realized that she was wide awake already and looking forward to the upcoming sparring session later on. _I bet his abs are really tight,_ Christina's words floated back to her mind. Oh yes, they were absolutely tight, too tight to be bothered by her feeble attempts of kicking and punching him there. She remembered how her hand had hurt after that particular fight, she had to cool it for the next few hours.

Nevertheless she wondered how the bare skin of his toned abs would feel like. Four was well-built as well and on rare occasions where she got to explore his body she still thought that he seemed rather lean. Eric's muscles were much more prominent though and maybe if she - _stop it Tris,_ she mentally admonished herself. Throwing a pillow over her face she tried to block out the images that came floating through her head.

With a sigh she hopped out of bed and got ready for the day. And when they fought he didn't go easy on her, just like the other day she was hopelessly trying to land hits at him and failed. He spun her and with his arm around her throat held her back securely against his chest. Her feet were almost lifting off of the ground and she could feel his hot breath on her ear. He was panting and each breath down her neck drove Tris crazy. Blinking she tried fighting back but his grip was too tight. She held onto his forearm and hissed.

"Hey Stiff, what's the matter?" The steel in his voice made her freeze. "Focus!" he growled, "I thought you had potential!" She gasped tightening her fingers on his skin. She could feel him smirk against the shell of her ear, "But right now, you don't," he taunted her and pushed her forward roughly, freeing her from his titan like grip.

Turning around she threw her hands up in frustration, "And here I am thinking you want me to improve!" He pursed his lips watching her impassively, "Well, I do."

"I thought you don't care about a little Stiff," she sighed in frustration and was just about to go grab the bottle of water when all of a sudden he twisted her expertly and slammed her to the ground. Groaning she stared up at him, his lips were curled up into a cruel grin. She tried wiggling free, only causing him to tighten his grip and broadening his smirk.

He held her down kneeling beside her and lowered his face to murmur right next to her ear, "Maybe I do care... Just a tiny little bit." Blood rushed up into her already heated face and Tris would have sighed at the husky tone of his voice if it wasn't for the predicament she currently was in. She blinked when he lifted his head just enough to look into her eyes, "Or maybe not."

She was unable to decipher the emotions she saw swirling through his grey eyes and his presence left her all too soon, the skin where his hand had been suddenly cold against the air. He went away calling over his shoulder, "Come on Stiff, reports won't do themselves!" Unable to get up for a moment she watched him leave the training room, biting her lips she caught a glimpse of his hand rubbing at the back of his neck before he turned the corner.

The rest of the day was uneventful until Tris suddenly heard a very indistinctive noise from Eric's office that sounded almost like a whimper. She heard him curse angrily his chair squeaking and something tumbled to the ground. She ran over to see what was wrong to see Eric standing a few feet away from his desk, breathing heavily he stared at a harvestman crawling around on the surface.

Eric seemed unable to move and his eyes were fixated on the spider which made Tris smile to herself. Did she actually just witness him facing one of his worst fears?

"Relax Eric, it's just a spider," she cooed and went over to look at the little creature more closely. He glowered at her and she shot him an annoyed look, "What? Don't tell me you're afraid of spiders?"

She saw his nostrils flare and bracing her hand on her hip she let out a nervous laugh, "Seriously?" His eyes flickered up at her briefly before looking down at the spider again. Tris shook her head and ushered the spider into her hand. When she heard him hiss she rolled her eyes before her face broke out into a mischievous grin.

She walked closer to him with both her hands securely locked over the spider and when his eyes widened she laughed out loud. Turning she opened the window and tossed the tiny animal outside. Closing the window she brushed off her hands and turned to Eric who was staring at her in disgust. After a long moment he muttered under his breath, "I need a new office..."

Taking his jacket he turned to leave and Tris was right on his heels chuckling, "Big bad Eric is afraid of spiders!" she sing-songed grabbing her own jacket. Opening the door he glared at her over his shoulder, "You will regret this tomorrow morning!"

Despite the threat the training with Eric wasn't as bad as she expected, at least not worse than any other day. Half way on her way to the office Tris met Eric who was scowling at a letter. He looked up briefly to toss her the keys and kept reading. As she unlocked the door he brushed past her with an exaggerated sigh.

Throwing the rest of the letters onto his desk he leaned on it and turned towards Tris folding his arms across his chest, "There will be a banquet soon," he made a condescending gesture and rolled his eyes, "Faction leaders will introduce their new leaders in training. Fancy fancy.." Tris raised her eyebrows questioningly and he continued, "Anyway, as this is only every three years, you," he pointed at her, "Have to dress up nicely!"

He smirked but the corners of his mouth dropped a bit when Tris only shrugged, "Okay." Eric looked her up and down slowly which made her feel uncomfortable, "Have your Candor friend take you shopping, she has to dress you up." She rolled her eyes at his distrust to pick nice clothes for herself, "Whatever."

"You get the rest of the day off," he held up a finger when Tris' eyes lit up in excitement, "But only if you finish the reports by supper!" She groaned in exasperation and turned towards her office with slumped shoulders, "I'll never leave the office!"

When supper time came around Eric stood in the doorway to Tris' office, "Let's go eat something, I'm starving." She switched off her computer and jumped up to follow him to the cafeteria. Just when she was in front of him he shot her a stern look with his eyebrow raised, "Are you done?" The smile on her face vanished and sighing she shook her head. Eric pursed his lips as Tris looked up at him sheepishly. He pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "You'll get the day off anyway. I don't want to see you again today."

Tris put her hand on his forearm affectionately and beamed up at him, "Thanks Eric, you're the best!" He waved her away in annoyance, "Yeah yeah, whatever! Just get yourself a nice dress or something!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the positive feedback everyone! Special thanks to Libra18j whose feedback resulted in this very long chapter - I hope it lives up to everyone's expectations :) As always I would love to hear your lovely opinions!
> 
> By the way I wrote a songfic, cheesy right? Check out 'I cannot lose what is not mine'!
> 
> I do not own Divergent or its characters.

Right on time Eric knocked at the door and when Tris opened it she gasped at the sight of her mentor. He was clad all in black with a dark red tie, his jacket was slung casually over his arm and the short sleeves of his black shirt showed off his well-toned upper arms. When she looked up at his eyes she noticed that he was checking her out as well.

She smiled at how he looked at her, he had never checked her out like that, at least not that she had ever noticed. When he finally met her eyes she moved to the side, "Come on, or do want to stand in front of the door forever?" She turned and grinned to herself when she saw him blink dumbfoundedly and thought that she might have seen a mild blush around his cheeks.

Tris went back in front of the mirror in the living room to finish her make-up. Looking down at herself she noticed how the knee-long black dress with the dark red ribbon around her waist complimented Eric's outfit and they represented Dauntless perfectly.

Eric leaned against the wall next to the mirror and watched her intently. Without looking at him she knew he was smirking and she had to focus on her reflection, otherwise she felt like she would blush wildly. With an exaggerated sigh he pushed away from the wall and moved around her to look her up and down from behind. Tris had to struggle to keep her hand calm not wanting to screw up the mascara. Not knowing what he was up to made her uneasy. He stood there behind her back for a few moments without saying anything and she was too close to the mirror to really see his face.

Her breath hitched in her throat when he brushed her hair to the side and his fingertips grazed the exposed skin on her shoulders. Her heart hammered in her chest as he took a hold of the zipper on the back of her dress, he pulled it up all the way and brushed out some wrinkles in her dress.

When he took a step to the side Tris watched him quietly through the mirror as he stared down at her shoulders. He seemed reluctant to move away and didn't notice her watching him.

Though when she cleared her throat he looked up with a smirk, "That's a sight I have to get used to. My co-workers usually don't dress up for me."

Blushing furiously she exclaimed, "I am not dressing up for you!" He smirked in return, "Oh? Who told you to dress nicely?" She stared at him for a moment and his gaze didn't waver from hers. His nostrils flared from suppressing a grin and he was right but she didn't want to admit it, after all she originally wanted to wear pants and Christina had made her pick this dress in the end.

Tris didn't want to give him the satisfaction of victory but she didn't know what to reply either, so with a huff she finished her make-up. Checking her appearance in the reflection one more time she tugged her long hair behind her ears and let out an angry sigh. Her hair wasn't cooperating as usual and she was already nervous enough.

Pulling up her hair Tris was just about to tie her hair back but she froze when Eric chuckled low in his throat. She shot him a questioning glance through the mirror. He stepped to her side and crossed his arms over his chest, "Leave it open," he simply instructed and regarded her with mixture of amusement and dominance.

She did as he told her and wondered how she didn't really mind his dominant nature. He used to intimidate her during initiation but now that she was working with him so closely she saw him from another perspective. And while Four's tendency to authority scared her most of the times, it was different with Eric.

He sighed in exasperation and it made her blink out of her trance like state. His hand was on the doorknob and he watched her calmly, "Are you ready now?"

Nodding Tris grabbed her purse and after she closed the door she turned to Eric who was waiting for her patiently. They went up the stairs to the upper level in silence. Tris wondered briefly why they weren't going to the train station but Eric explained that Erudite provided cars for this event picking up all attendees of the event.

When they arrived at the parking lot Tris saw the impressive dark blue car with the Erudite symbol on the side. A chauffeur stood leaning against the car waiting for them and all of a sudden Tris felt special.

Sneaking a glance at Eric she imagined how this would be a date instead of an official event they had to attend. They would be driving to a fancy restaurant and spend a nice evening together. Maybe they would even dance and when the day was over he would bring her back to her apartment.

Shaking her head at the childish thoughts she heard her name being called. From a distance she saw Four who just arrived from an outside meeting himself and walked towards her at an angry pace. When he was in front she shrunk back.

"So, now you're dating?" he sneered in a low voice tilting his head in Eric's direction. She noticed that Eric opened the back door of the car but otherwise remained silently watching them.

Four was seething and Tris took a step back almost bumping into the car, "Four, this is not a date, if you chose leadership then you would probably know about this event! This is about meeting the other faction leaders and their new protégées!"

He chuckled darkly and came closer, she gulped wishing Eric wouldn't be here to witness how Four treated her, or maybe it was best that someone did finally see. She had always been too afraid to tell anyone how intimidating he could be when they were alone.

"You think he cares about you, don't you? You're so naive, he only ever thinks about himself! You'll regret trusting him!"

Tris sighed desperately but before she could open her mouth, Eric cleared his throat and just now she realized he had been waiting silently watching Four making a scene. His eyes were fixated on Tris and his grey eyes had seemed to have turned a shade darker as he regarded her calmly. Holding the door to the car open for her his jaws tightened visibly and without so much as looking at Four he addressed Tris, "We should leave now, we don't want to be late."

The authority in his voice gave her strength suddenly and without looking at Four she turned to get into the car. When the door slammed shut behind her she watched Eric brush past Four without another word and when he was inside the chauffeur drove off.

Tris was fidgeting with her hands when she noticed a tear run down her cheek. And just as she wiped it away hastily Eric scooted a little closer. His leg leaned against her thigh and she could feel his body heat even through the fabric of his pants. He grabbed her purse and whipped out a tissue, she stared at him dumbfoundedly and he frowned, "Why are you even crying for the loser?"

She grabbed the issue angrily and wiped at her face, "I'm not sad because of..." He cut her off roughly, "Then stop crying!" and with a softer voice he added, "Those people at the banquet want to see the pride of Dauntless," he pointed a finger at her face offering her an encouraging smile, "This is not what they want to see and I don't want to see you like that either."

His hand reached up to wipe away a tear she couldn't hold back, his thumb lingered on her cheek a brief moment and she leaned into the touch. But he pulled his hand back too soon, Tris took a deep breath and when she thought she had regained her composure she looked up at him. His face showed concern for a long moment but when she nodded he simply nodded back and returned to his seat.

After a few moments Tris noticed Eric bobbing his knee up and down seemingly more nervous than she was. She grabbed his knee and he immediately stopped, looking down at her hand he scowled. "Stop it, or I'll punch you!" Eric's face broke out at that into a wicked smirk as he looked at her, "Now that's the spirit!" Tris blushed and grinning to herself she tried to distract the attention away from herself, "Don't tell me you're nervous about this?"

"I'm not," he snapped and let out a long breath through his nose, "I'm just not looking forward to be socializing with people I don't know, that's all." She smiled affectionately at him, "You know the other Dauntless leaders." Lifting her hand from his leg she saw a strange emotion flicker across his face. Was it disappointment? As soon as it was there it was gone already and she offered him yet another smile, "And you know me, you can socialize with me if you don't like the others."

At that Eric sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, releasing it through his teeth he chuckled and averted his gaze. He nodded absent-mindedly and not saying anything looked outside the window. Tris saw his ears redden and grinned to herself even though she didn't quite know why.

Soon after they arrived at an enormous building with many cars pulling up. Tris watched in fascination as all the people buzzed around helping others out of the car. She had rarely been anywhere else than at Erudite headquarters and of course in Dauntless, so she didn't know much about what the city had to offer. Everything was decorated in the faction colours and symbols but mostly Erudite since they had organized this event. She was so caught up looking around that when Eric ordered her to stay seated she didn't protest.

When the door suddenly swung open she flinched for a moment but then she saw Eric holding out his hand for her with a faint smile and he helped her out of the car. A wave of nervousness washed over her once again when she saw the other faction leaders and their protégées. Every single one of them looked more professional than Tris thought she did.

Eric offered her the crook of his arm and she latched onto his arm, he had put on the jacket but she could still feel the warmth of his arm through the fabric. Clasping his hand over hers he leaned closer to her and when he whispered into her ear it sent shivers through her entire body, "You're fine, Tris, I'm here with you."

Tris was calmed by his reassurance while at the same time her heart started beating faster as he led her into the gigantic hall that was prepared to accommodate all the leaders of all factions. Enormous chandeliers hung from the ceiling and big round tables were set up. Each table had enough seats to have at least one of the five factions' leaders and their protégée sit together with people from other factions.

They were halfway into the room when they heard Jeanine call out for them. They all shook hands and Jeanine regarded Tris with an arrogant air she didn't know how she had deserved it. They were small-talking for a few moments until someone announced for everyone to return to their seats.

The banquet commenced and after a few hours Tris found herself talking to a leader in training from Abnegation. He was nice but he babbled on and on about her old faction, and she wanted to just turn around and leave him standing there. But her inner Abnegation told her to stay polite and listen to him. She would probably see him again in one of the faction meetings Eric had told her would soon follow after the banquet.

Tris' mind wandered and without knowing what she was looking for her eyes found Eric's through the crowd, he was staring right back at her and when their eyes met he smirked. He made a gesture with his hand as if to ask whether the guy bored her with his talking and she had to suppress a giggle. She nodded and rolling his eyes he gestured for her to follow him.

Tris took her leave and followed Eric onto a balcony, the air outside had cooled down but it was still warm. Eric leaned against the railing looking out over the city and she went to stand beside him. "Did the Stiff bore the Stiff to death?" She rolled her eyes but chuckled at his precise observation, "He wouldn't stop talking, thanks for saving me."

He nodded and sipped at his drink, turning around he leaned against the railing with his arms casually draped over the metal bar. He watched her silently for a few moments and when her gaze seemed to drift off he nudged her softly, "What's on your mind?" Just like so many times his husky voice made her shiver in a good way and she looked at him, she tried to smile but Eric didn't buy it.

"Hey listen, I'm your superior and I order you to tell me what's on your mind!" His face was so close to hers that she had to lean back and she laughed at his playful outburst, "How much did you drink?" He grimaced at the glass in his hand and put it on a nearby table, "Not enough to drown all of this out." He made a wide gesture and smirked when he leaned close to her again, "Anyway, now tell me, what's the matter?"

Tris sighed heavily looking down at her hands and before she could say anything Eric groaned, "Don't tell me number boy is still on your mind?!" She looked up at him to see a mixture of disbelief and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on cross his face. She blamed it on the alcohol but she couldn't get past the feeling that he seemed jealous, at least a little bit.

He raised his pierced eyebrow and she sighed again, "I was just thinking how Four turned down the position for the leadership training." Eric snorted and looked away but he let her speak. "So far it has only brought good things around for me. I have learned so many new things and you have been a great teacher so far." Eric smiled at her fondly but she was so immersed in her thoughts she didn't notice and continued, "He doesn't even care whether I'm doing good or not, he despises my wish to become a leader just because he hates you."

Tris looked up to see a bitter scowl on Eric's face and for a moment she was unsure on whether she should continue or not. He regarded her calmly and when she didn't say anything else he pursed his lips, "He just regrets that it is over with you."

She looked down at her hands biting her lip, "Sometimes I wonder whether it was the right thing to do." Eric scoffed and mumbled under his breath, "Right..."

Eric pushed away from the railing suddenly and grabbing Tris' hand he pulled her back into the room. He ignored that she was trying to pull away from him when she noticed that he dragged her to the dance area. And when they stood in the middle of many already dancing couples he turned to face her and unceremoniously pulled her against his chest.

She squeaked at the sudden impact and looked up at him, "Eric," she whispered, "I can't dance." He arched an eyebrow, "Oh?" She gasped when she felt his hand grab her waist to draw her closer to him while his other hand held hers up against his chest gently and started swaying them in small circles to the slow music. With a gentleness she didn't know he possessed he moved his hand to the small of her back and she could feel the warmth of his palm through her dress.

His mouth was at her ear and he whispered softly, tickling the shell of her ear, "I can't either. No one will notice anyway." Leaning back to look at her he grinned, "Relax, Stiff." When he resumed their position with his head next to hers she tried to calm down and placed her free hand on his shoulder. Trying to ignore that his breath on her collar bone sent goosebumps across her skin, she watched the other couples over his shoulder. No one cared indeed and she tried not to care either.

For a fleeting moment she wondered what anybody would think of her dancing with her mentor but seeing that Lauren was dancing with Max' protégée she relaxed. When Eric spoke his voice sounded a bit worried, "Now is this better than musing on Four?" Tris could only nod since she couldn't think about anything other really than Eric being so different than Four in so many ways.

He chuckled and it vibrated into her chest, "I thought so, don't let him get to you." He drew back a little just to say, "He didn't deserve you in the first place," and then he resumed his position with his head almost in the crook of her neck. Tris grabbed onto his shoulder to hide the blush that crept up into her face as she felt every single breath of him tickle her sensitive skin. She sighed and felt his arm wrap around her back protectively, his hand was caressing hers, his fingers brushing over hers again and again. Closing her eyes she wished this night would never end.

They spent the rest of the night talking and laughing with Max, Lauren and their protégées until they called it a night and everyone returned to Dauntless respectively. Tris felt a little bit tipsy by then and was thankful that Eric hadn't drunk more so he could hold onto her as they went outside and a little wave of dizziness washed over her. He put his jacket over her shoulders and during the ride home she snuggled a bit deeper into the fabric that was still warm from Eric.

She looked over at him and while he was seemingly deep in thought she couldn't help but travel her eyes up and down his muscular arms. It was too dark to see every little detail but she knew the mazes on his forearms almost by heart. She was stuck in his deadly grip more than enough, the thought made her remember how soft the skin of his arms was. She wished she could lay in his arms, despite what Four always told her he didn't seem to be such a bad guy after all.

His chest rose with deep breaths and she wondered what was going on in his head now, but she didn't dare ask. He only sat next to her and they hadn't uttered a word since they left the event. So when he cast her a sleepy smile it made her heart flutter and she responded with a smile of her own.

Walking back to their apartments Tris felt Eric's hand on the small of her back, instinctively she leaned closer to him and noticed even through the fogginess of her mind that he did so as well. For a brief moment she even thought she had caught him breathing in her perfume.

When they arrived in front of Tris' apartment she turned towards Eric, "Thanks for the really nice evening. At first I was so nervous and that incident with Four..." she sighed. His eyes bore into hers rubbing the back of his neck and he watched her carefully. She smiled at him, "But thanks to you I was definitely enjoying this."

Tris bit her lip and leaning up she kissed Eric cheek. Because he had shaved in the morning it was soft beneath her lips. Even though she wished she could linger she pulled back and caught a glimpse of him sucking on his bottom lip. Yet when she stepped away from him he had already released his lip and smiled down at her affectionately, "It's been my pleasure."

"Good night, Eric." His eyes bore into hers and he regarded her as if he wanted to say something. At last he muttered, "See you tomorrow, Tris."

She turned and closed the door behind herself and sank to the ground with an elongated sigh. A soft thud on the door startled her and she got up, the motion swapped Eric's jacket off of her shoulders. She stared at the jacket for a long moment, she had totally forgotten about giving it back. Looking through the spy she saw Eric leaning his forehead against the door, after a moment he turned and walked away.

Tris sighed and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her hand was trembling on the doorknob and eventually she grabbed the jacket from the floor. She cradled it to her chest and breathed in the distinct scent which belonged to Eric and it made her belly flutter once more.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There you go, hope everyone is happy with this chapter. Buzzed Eric and Tris plus some more touchy feely for everyone, especially HeSetMeFree and all my lovely reviewers! Do tell me what you think about it ;)  
> By the way I am currently finalizing the next chapter for Last Resort, hooray finally! :)
> 
> I do not own Divergent or its characters.

Next morning Tris woke up and when she headed towards the door her eyes fell on Eric's jacket. She picked it up and holding it to her face she smiled breathing in his scent one more time, before she opened the door. She froze when she found a note at the door.

_I'll come in later. Keys are under the rug. Eric_

Lifting the rug she found the keys and looking at his door Tris sighed in disappointment. She went over to his door and listened briefly, it was quiet and with a sigh she hung the jacket on the doorknob.

It was almost lunch time when Eric showed up, Tris looked up with a smile which soon faltered because Eric didn't come over to greet her. "Good morning, nice to see you!" she called with an edge of annoyance. Tris heard him shuffle to his feet and a moment later he poked his head into her office, "Good morning, did anything happen?"

_Other than me brooding over the fact that we had a great night and you seem to have forgotten already, no._

Tris faked a smile, "Nah, everything has been quiet!" He nodded biting his lips obviously uneasy about something, "Great, let me just answer some e-mails and then we can leave," he smiled apologetically and went back to his office which made her roll her eyes.

Half an hour later Eric leaned in the doorway and motioned for Tris to follow him. She frowned at him sideways but his face was an expressionless mask as usual. Though somehow he was off and she tried to keep up with his fast pace through the corridors. In the cafeteria Eric snatched two sandwiches and placed his hand on her back to usher her out.

In silence they went to the train station and once they were inside Eric started the engine and the train rolled into motion. As soon as it did Eric turned to Tris with a smile, "Thanks for returning my jacket by the way, I had completely forgotten about it."

Tris nodded absent-mindedly and frowned at him, "Where are we going?" Eric smirked which bordered on a grin, "No point in telling you," she looked at him curiously and he bit his lip, "You'll see."

Shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket she watched him sit down. He handed her one of the sandwiches, "Be a good girl and eat up." She eyed him with a frown but took the sandwich nonetheless. Wondering briefly why he was in so high spirits she sat down next to him. Looking up she saw him watching her with a knowing grin and tried to hide the blush she felt creeping up into her face.

When they had finished Eric stood and looked out. Tris got up and noticed that they were closing in on the fair where they had the capture the flag match during initiation. She was so absorbed with the memory that she didn't notice Eric leaning towards her. And when he husked close to her ear, "Get ready," it sent goosebumps across her skin.

Soon enough Eric took a step back and leapt outside. Tris followed suit and they strolled in silence towards the fair. Looking up at the Ferris wheel Tris thought back to when she had climbed it together with Four. Back then everything had been nice and she wanted to be with Four so much. Now it only sent a bitter frown to her face.

She heard Eric sigh heavily and snapped out of the memory. She saw him frown at her so she smiled nervously. He bit his lip rubbing the back of his neck, "Damn, we should have come here at night. It looks so sad.."

He lay his hand on the small of her back and pushed her gently forward, "Close your eyes, Tris." She raised an eyebrow at him and he nodded in encouragement, "Trust me?" She nodded and closed her eyes, his warm hands took a hold of her hand. He pulled her forward and she stumbled slightly, she heard him chuckle softly and she held onto his arm.

After a couple of feet he stopped her and told her to open her eyes. Tris blinked looking at the carousel in front of her. She looked at Eric who grinned sheepishly and she looked back at the nostalgic carousel with her eyebrows raised. He tilted his head while she was at a loss for words. "Definitely should have come by night.."

"No!" she exclaimed and cast him a smile, "It's just... I didn't expect that!" A grin broke out on his face and he grabbed her hand to pull her closer to the big old carousel. Tris had never been on such an installation and she wondered why it was so special that he would take her here.

They stepped onto the platform and he led her to one of the wooden horses. She gasped when he grabbed her hips and lifted her up onto the horse, "Now hold on!" Her grip on his shoulders tightened and she watched his eyes narrow. The corners of his mouth lifted in a handsome smile, "Tris?" She could only hum in response and his voice lowered to a mumble, "The horse, not me."

Blushing furiously she turned away from him and he went to the engine in the middle of the carousel. Tris flinched when the old rusty application went into motion surprisingly. Eric came back to her and swung up onto the horse next to her.

Strangely the bobbing motion soothed her and she looked out at the world spinning past her with a smile. After the world had turned around her for countless times Tris turned to Eric to catch him watching her with a faint smile, "Eric? Why are we here?"

Without an answer he hopped down from the horse and stood next to her. His eyes were bobbing up and down while he held her gaze, "Does it matter?" Tris swung her leg over and tried to hop off the horse clumsily. Eric stepped forward and extended his arms to catch her mid fall. She stumbled slightly placing her hands on his chest for support and looked up at him.

Eric drew his lips into a thin line and she could feel his heartbeat. It wasn't racing but it wasn't exactly calm either. When he spoke it sent a shiver down her spine, "I wanted to take your mind off of number boy. You seem to miss him, even though he doesn't deserve it."

After a moment the words sank in and Tris attempted to smile, "It worked, thanks." She wanted to tell him that not Four but he himself was on her mind the whole day already but she didn't have the courage. Eric nodded and went to shut off the engine while Tris walked over to the edge of the platform. She was mesmerized by the peaceful world that was spinning gradually slower until it came to a halt.

Eric playfully bumped his shoulder against hers and she looked up in surprise, "Feeling a little better?" Tris bit her lip and looked away from him, "Kind of," she lied, she didn't feel better at all, if anything she wanted to tell him now even more. She glanced back at him to see the corners of his mouth lift a fraction but he only nodded in reply and brushed past her hopping off the platform. Tris watched in disappointment how he started to walk in the direction of the train tracks. He stopped briefly and looked back at her, "Come on, we have to get back."

Her mind whirred on the way back, Eric was quiet the whole way and it made her uneasy. They ran for the train and when they were running in parallel he jumped up and helped her inside.

Catching their breath they sat down next to each other and she smiled at him. To her surprise he smiled back and it made her heart flutter. "I never thought I could be friends with you," she mused. He chuckled low in his throat and raised an eyebrow, "Now we're already friends?"

Her smile faltered and he added in a low voice, "I just couldn't stand you brooding over the jerk and looking all gloomy since yesterday." She looked away hiding a blush, "Eric?" He looked up at her serious tone, "Why did you come in late today?"

Rubbing the back of his neck he grimaced, "Lauren showed up in the middle of the night. She stayed until dawn and I needed some more sleep." Tris' heart sank, "I see." Whatever good mood he had been in, it was suddenly wiped away and he averted his eyes.

The rest of the ride as well as the rest of the day in the office they spent in silence. It was an uncomfortable silence and Tris hated it. Biting her lip she glanced at Eric when they left the office at the end of the day. She took all the courage she could muster and told him, "Chris, Will and I are going to have some drinks. Would you like to join us?"

He eyed her curiously and when he didn't answer she rolled her eyes at him, "Come on, we have the whole weekend off for a change!" she whined and he waved at her in annoyance, "Fine!"

After a few hours everyone was pretty much beyond being tipsy. As it was already getting late and Chris had to work the next day they said good-bye leaving Eric and Tris alone.

While Christina and Will took their leave Tris played with her long hair absent-mindedly and when they were alone she informed Eric formally, "I think I'll cut my hair!" Finishing the last of his drink Eric grunted, "No." Shaking his head slightly to emphasize how he was against that made Tris chuckle, "Do you know what I really really like about you?" She put a hand on his shoulder leaning heavily against him in her drunken haze.

He raised both of his eyebrows at her bolt invasion of his personal space, "No, but now I'm really really curious to find out." She locked her eyes with his, "That you're really honest. I really like that," she murmured drunkenly and when she lay her chin on his shoulder her hand glided down his back slowly. And before she could stop herself she muttered, "Plus, you have really nice eyes."

Eric rubbed his chin in amusement as Tris blushed and the grin on his face broadened. He pointed a finger at her nose, "Then let me be really honest with you now," he paused to lick his lips, his eyes dropping to her lips, "I honestly think you had too much to drink." Tris hummed in annoyance and rolled her eyes but otherwise kept her head propped down on his shoulder, "Maybe."

Tris watched him gasp as her fingers snuck beneath his shirt and brushed over the sensitive skin of his lower back. She felt her hands shake slightly because she hadn't realized she was actually going through with it. She had wanted to but actually doing it sent a wave of heat into her cheeks. In an attempt to cover her insecurity she pressed her full palm against his back.

Too late she realized it could send a different message to Eric. Her heart was hammering so loud in her chest she wondered whether he could hear it. He grinned and leaned close to her face, their noses were almost touching, "Tris?" She hummed dreamily watching his eyes turn a shade darker. "Your hand is down my shirt."

"I know," she whispered, "It feels so good, you're so warm." She watched him bite his lip and was totally hypnotized by the blood rushing back into it when he released it through his teeth that she was surprised when he grinned with mock concern, "Are you cold?"

"No, why?" she blurted out, but as soon as she did her eyes widened at the realization of admitting that she was doing this because she wanted to feel him. She withdrew her hand and saw a flicker of disappointment cross his face. He snorted, "Alright, you had enough! Let's call it a night." He grimaced as he slurred the sentence out and Tris giggled at the realization that she was not the only one who was more than just a little bit tipsy.

Tris didn't know why but she couldn't care less when Eric took her to his place instead of her apartment. "Sit down!" he commanded in a serious tone and Tris complied, slumping onto the couch.

She bit her lip when she watched Eric remove his vest, leaving him in a tight black tank top. Watching him toss the vest to a nearby chair Tris sighed at the sight of his upper body, the tight fabric accentuated his muscles perfectly and she longed to be encased in his strong arms. He missed the chair by a foot and waved his hand in annoyance, it made Tris giggle and he shot her a glare over his shoulder.

She had missed the training this morning, she had wondered what he'd do or say as there had certainly been some chemistry between them. It couldn't have only been in her imagination but after all he had been tipsy as well as her. So it was probably only her wishing that there was something.

When Eric came back from the kitchen he offered her bread and a glass of water, "Eat and drink this!" Tris sighed over dramatically sticking out her bottom lip in a pout, "But I would like to have cheese on it!" He raised an eyebrow at her, "Are you serious?" She nodded and he sighed getting up, "Alright, cheese it is." Tris almost burst out laughing when he ran into the armchair and cursed quietly.

While he sauntered back into the kitchen Tris couldn't help but travel her eyes up and down his body. She had watched him already several times but tonight was different, she couldn't quite pinpoint whether it was the alcohol or her general attraction towards him, but she wanted more of him.

She shook her head to get rid of the fog that had covered her mind, she also wanted to enjoy this. She had never been alone with him, at least not like that. And she regretted drinking too much, though if she hadn't she would probably not be here. Tris let out a long breath when he came back a few seconds later and handed her the bread, this time with cheese. The movement of the couch shifted her slightly towards him when he sat back down.

"Can I ask you something?" she asked between bites and he nodded. "Why is it..." the rest came out as a mumbled mess as she tried to speak around the mouth full. "Maybe you should take another bite, I guess I'll understand better then," he bit out sarcastically. She did as he told her and giggled to herself when she didn't even recognize herself what she was trying to say. He sighed in exasperation, "Alright, eat up and then you can ask me anything you want."

Tris gulped down the last of the bread a minute later and he looked at her expectantly. She looked at him with wide eyes and he gestured for her to ask what she wanted. "How come you are so nice now but during initiation you were such an asshole?" He raised an eyebrow at that and snorted, "I was an asshole?" She nodded vigorously as if it was the most obvious fact and Eric should have known.

He leaned back against the couch and draped his arms on the back of it, "I was under a lot of pressure back then, after all it was the first time I played a major role in grading initiates and deciding whether one of you got kicked out or not." Tris leaned back and sighed when her head connected with his arm, she turned and rested her cheek against the bare skin of his forearm and locked eyes with him, "So you were just nervous and we all misunderstood you? I mean, you hung Christina over the chasm because..."

He cut her off, "Tris...," rubbing his eyes he sighed in frustration and Tris sat up to scoot a little bit closer. He opened his eyes again and they widened when he saw that she was so close to him all of a sudden that her legs touched his thighs.

But before he could further go on with anything he wanted to say she mumbled, "You know, you haven't called me Stiff in a long time," she sighed with contentment and leaned her cheek against his upper arm, "I like how you say my name."

Tris felt the alcohol wear off slowly and decided that she didn't want him to know that she was fully aware of herself getting closer to him than she normally would, so she offered him a lopsided smile. She noticed how the muscles in his arm flexed and he licked his lips.

He regarded her for a very long moment and when he leaned towards Tris, her eyes dropped to his lips and started closing on their own. Only to fly open when she felt him shift and remove his arm from behind her head. He had sat up almost causing her to topple forward. Eric sighed rubbing his face and Tris had to strain her ears when he mumbled, "God, I'm drunk, Stiff, go to bed!"

Suddenly she was completely sober and stared at him in disbelief. When she didn't move he looked back at her over his shoulder, "I'm serious, I don't want you or me to do anything either of us could regret." Tris was at a loss for words and got up numbly.

Before she got to the door though Eric was suddenly behind her, "Tris?" She turned feeling tears sting her eyes and he encased her in his arms, hugging her close to him he mumbled into the crook of her neck, "I'm sorry, good night." She patted his back sadly and went to leave his apartment.

When she opened the door Tris was face to face with Lauren who was just about to knock. Setting her jaw tightly she greeted the other woman and without looking back she almost ran back to her apartment. Slumping down she let the tears fall freely. Biting her bottom lip in frustration she wondered when she had started to have feelings towards Eric and how she was supposed to keep working alongside him having to hold back her growing affection towards him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi all, it's been some time since I updated my stories, don't worry I am working on all of them and I have some more ideas for other stories :) Meanwhile enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think!
> 
> I do not own Divergent or its characters.

"Come on, Tris!" Christina dragged her friend along into the pit, "You have to dance!" Tris fumbled with the hem of her skirt which Christina had insisted she should wear, "Chris, I'm not in the mood!" she argued and rolled her eyes. Christina swatted her hands away and chuckled when the other girl glared at her, "No, this is not too short! If you don't plan on getting back with Four you should show what you got!" She thought for a moment before she added, "Well, you should always go for short, even in a relationship, but if you're single it is even more important. Sometimes love comes from where you'd least expect it!"

Christina winked at her before an absolute reluctant Tris was dragged on and into the crowd. They danced together for a while before Will joined them and the couple got so lost in each other that Tris was able to sneak off. She sat down at the bar at the side furthest away from the dance floor as not to get caught bailing out.

Her friend had forced her to get out of her apartment, she wouldn't have done so if not for her friend. She had been brooding over the fact that she finally had thought she could open her heart again, only to witness her own childish thoughts being crushed so violently.

After she ordered a mild drink her eyes scanned the room, she didn't know what she was looking for but then her eyes caught Eric. He was just entering the pit and Lauren was at his side.

Tris quickly looked away, not ready to see him yet after the events from yesterday. The scenes kept repeating in her head, the closeness with Eric, it had almost seemed natural to be so intimate with him. Her thoughts went back to the moment where she was so foolish to believe that he was going to kiss her. She would have loved to just let it happen, it had been on her mind for such a long time now. Why did he stop himself, why did he say he didn't want them to do anything they could regret? She didn't understand. 

Seeing Lauren at his apartment already hurt and seeing them now together was even worse. She wondered briefly what would have happened if she had stayed just a few minutes longer, if Lauren would have knocked while she was still there. Would Eric have kicked her out in anticipation of a booty call?

Tris looked up and her heart started racing when she saw them coming over to the bar. Holding her breath she prayed that they wouldn't see her. They didn't pay her any attention and Tris sighed in relief watching them sit down at the opposite side of the bar. Eric was looking out into the crowd as if he was looking for someone while Lauren ordered their drinks.

Her stomach twisted when he turned back to Lauren and laid an arm around her shoulders with a smirk when he saw his drink already in front of him. He seemed distracted somehow though and Tris couldn't keep her eyes off of him. She hadn't been able to sleep well, her thoughts were drifting back to Eric and how she longed to kiss those lips that were now drawn into a tight smile now. 

Her heart missed a beat when Eric's eyes wandered to her and spotted her finally. Lauren was talking to him but his eyes remained fixated on Tris and he removed his arm from around her shoulders immediately. A small smile tugged at his lips as their eyes met, one others could have missed but she knew him enough already to know that this was the best Eric was willing to offer in public. She returned the smile without thinking about it and her stomach fluttered at the very private moment between them. It was as if he would only have eyes for her.

Suddenly his face twisted into his usual scowl and Tris could feel her palms start sweating. But before she could even begin to delve into thinking about what she might have done wrong, she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. She turned to be face to face with Four. "Hi Tris," he slurred out, obviously intoxicated by the way his head wobbled and he was unable to steady himself, "It's nice to see you here!"

His voice was too loud and before she could protest his arm was around her waist and he placed a wet kiss on her cheek, she had turned her head just in time to prevent a kiss on the mouth. "Four, what are you doing?" she exclaimed in surprise. 

Four slammed down a bottle right next to her glass and she cringed, almost expecting it to shatter into pieces from the force. "I would like to spend some time with you," he forced out and snarled at her, "After all you said we could still be friends, right?"

She didn't know where she took the courage from but she pushed him away with a hand on his chest, "Four, you're wasted!" For a second she thought she would succeed but he was much stronger than her and pushed her hand away to get closer again. "Come on, Tris, we've been so good together! Don't you think I deserve another chance?"

He tried to kiss her again and Tris was horrified of him suddenly but only managed to hold him at arm's length. She turned her head away, her eyes flickered over to Eric in hope that he'd see and help but he was gone. Lauren was alone staring at Four in disgust. She smelled the alcohol on his breath and the sweat transpiring off his body, she was scared beyond belief.

And thankfully Four was yanked away from her all of a sudden. She tried to catch her breath she didn't notice she was holding. Eric shoved Four against the counter by his shoulder and glared at him. Four was so surprised that he was too dumbfounded to protest.

At first Tris thought that Eric's attitude alone could drive Four away but then he regained his composure and snorted, "What do you want, oh ruthless mister Eric, leader of Dauntless? Can't you see I'm talking to my friend here?"

Except for the flare of his nostrils Eric's face was expressionless and cold, much like Tris remembered him during initiation. He took his time to answer but when he did his voice was deadly low, "Go to bed, Four. You're way past your limit."

Four laughed in his face and snorted, "Don't tell me about limits. We both know that limits are mere guidelines for you-" Four moved to break free from Eric's vice-like grip but was slammed back into the counter with so much force that the glasses behind him trembled. Tris dared a look around only to see that no one really took notice of the scene except for Lauren. That alone made her cringe and she averted her eyes quickly.

A chill ran down her spine when Eric spoke again, "I'm not asking politely anymore," he raised his eyebrow and got closer to Four's face, "Fucking remove yourself, or you'll regret it!"

Four looked over at Tris whose eyes were wide and he clicked his tongue. He looked back at Eric whose eyes never left the other man, "It seems Eric here knows what's best for us, Tris. Don't you think he should leave us alone? Don't you want to say something?" His eyes went to her and they were almost pleading with her, "You would like to be with me, don't you?"

Eric stepped away from Four and crossed his arms over his chest. She noticed his eyes flicker briefly to her almost apologetically but otherwise kept watching Four carefully.

"No, Four, please leave me alone," she answered at last.

She felt pity when Four looked at her with hurt in his eyes but she stood her ground and raised an eyebrow in expectation. Four complied at last and forcefully pushed past Eric who let out a long sigh.

When he had made sure that Four really had left Eric turned to Tris. "Thank you," she mumbled and he only nodded in response. Sitting down on the bar stool next to her Eric brushed his hand through his hair, almost nervously. She caught a glimpse of his eyes lingering on her bare thighs for a moment too long and as soon as she tugged at the hem of her skirt in an attempt to cover herself his eyes snapped away. He pinched the bridge of his nose which was a gesture she had noticed he made when something annoyed him, "So, Four still bothers you?"

Tris rolled her eyes, "Yes, he wants to get back with me." Eric raised an eyebrow but didn't comment on it so she continued, "But I won't, especially not after this episode." She tried a weak smile and Eric's face softened a bit. He gestured to the dance floor, "Why aren't you dancing with your friends?"

It didn't slip her attention that he distracted her from her encounter with Four and was thankful for it. She shrugged looking over to her friends having a good time, "I'm not in the mood," she offered half-heartedly. He only nodded and regarded her calmly. Tris gestured to Lauren, "What about your date?" She looked over to see Lauren all over a tall guy with tattoos all over his body and wondered what kind of an open relationship her and Eric shared. Eric watched the two and chuckled low in his throat, "My date? Lauren's a big girl, she can take care of herself obviously."

Tris raised an eyebrow and he looked back at her, a smirk forming on his lips, "Is the Stiff jealous? I can't have my attention on you all the time, you know?" She rolled her eyes, "I'm not jealous, Eric. Why would I be?"

The laugh that escaped him made her cringe, even she wouldn't have bought the lie. His smirk grew even wider when she blushed furiously, but she hoped he didn't see it in the dim light of the pit. He turned towards her fully and laughed at her fidgeting hands and teased her, "Admit it!"

She rolled her eyes again trying to cover how uncomfortable he made her feel about his playful accusation. She had to force herself to calm down, the proximity to him made her hyper aware of her feelings towards him, made her aware of how attracted she actually was to him. "Look Eric, I have other things to worry about than being jealous," she exclaimed in a feeble attempt to escape his curious eyes. "I see, then let's elaborate these other things," he laughed throatily, he was obviously amused by the way he made her squirm.

Trying to get up Tris was stopped by Eric's hand around her wrist, it was a soft touch and she had to suppress a sigh when he pulled her to him. "Stay," he mumbled, his face was serious and she felt her chest heave with the sincerity in his voice. But in a blink of an eye a smirk lit up his face again, "That's an order, Stiff!"

When Tris spoke her voice was a lot firmer than she thought, "I have a day off, you can order me around any other day." He let go off her wrist and leaned towards her, his eyes boring into hers and his voice lowered to a husky tone that sent shivers up and down her spine, "Is that a promise?"

Before she was able to retort anything his head snapped to the side, a small hand was on his shoulder. It was Shauna who whispered something in his ear, she seemed to try to go for seductive but it didn't seem to have any effect on Eric. The only thing Tris could make out was "it's important" and before he left he growled in her direction, "I'll be right back."

She saw Lauren watching Eric's retreating back with a frown and wondered again how she could have ever thought that she might have a chance with Eric. Lauren was so much stronger and more confident in everything she did. She was also much for more beautiful than Tris could ever imagine to be.

It made her so sad that she decided not to wait for Eric's return and left the bar. She was just around the corner when she saw Eric and Shauna standing in a corner. Apparently they were having a heated argument, at least Shauna was almost in his face snarling at him while he glared back at her with his arms crossed over his chest. He seemed to have enough of it and grabbed her shoulders, before Tris could blink Shauna's lips locked with Eric's. Her stomach dropped and she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

Unable to watch on she turned so quickly that her shoes squeaked but she didn't look back. Brushing away the first tears from her cheek she suddenly felt a strong hand on her shoulder, "Wait, Tris!" It was Eric and when she turned she saw a fuming Shauna far behind over his shoulder.

"It's not what it looks like!" he defended himself but it only made her more furious. She didn't know where that damn jealousy came from all of a sudden, she had seen him with others girls before, she had seen him make out with girls before. But since she had realized that she was somewhat attracted to him she couldn't stand the sight of any other girl with him.

Still she tried to hide her real feelings and snapped at him, "Look, I don't care what you usually do but that was so wrong! You should be ashamed of yourself!" The confusion on his face seemed to be legitimate but Tris ignored it. "What do you mean?" he exclaimed with his eyebrows furrowed. Tris gaped at him, was this really normal for him, going around making out with every girl? Did her Abnegation upbringing show through too much now? Should she be okay with all of this only because she was now Dauntless?

"Well, I mean that you're kissing Shauna behind Lauren's back!"

His eyes widened and then his face broke out into a mixture between a glare and confusion, "What? I- Shauna- Wait, what does this have to do with Lauren?" Tris rolled her eyes at him and rambled, "It's okay, Eric, I know it's none of my business and I shouldn't even care about what you're doing with all those girls. But I thought you'd be better than that!" He contemplated her words for a moment, staring at her in disbelief. She already wanted to turn away from him, run away from all of this and just hide in her apartment again. But something made her stay and stare right back into his grey eyes she had come to admire so much over the past weeks.

A smirk slowly spread across his face and he took a step towards her, "So you admit it?" She backed away and he stepped closer until she was backed up against the wall behind her, "You want a piece of Eric as well?"

She immediately tried to push him away, "Cut it out, Eric! I'm not that kind of girl and I won't do anything which could hurt Lauren!"

He huffed in annoyance, "Why are you constantly talking about Lauren?" Tris gulped and crossed her arms defensively, "Well, you're a thing, right?" Eric raised an eyebrow in question and Tris blurted out, "Why else would she be at your place so often?"

His face remained serious and he regarded her as if he didn't understand what she was talking about. He gestured with his thumb towards the pit, "You think we are-" and broke off when Tris tried to break free from him. He sighed in exasperation and grabbed her arm to push her back against the wall. She was too dumbfounded by how rough and gentle at the same time he was and wasn't able to fight back. 

The tears she had successfully suppressed moments before threatened to flow freely again. Pressing her sweaty hands flat on the wall behind her she stared up at him. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think with him so close to her, it was unbearable how she longed to touch his face and run away at the same time.

She could feel his thumb caressing her arm slightly and it felt like eternity that he stared down at her, his eyes bore into hers and she was unable to form any intelligible sentence. His dark voice finally cut through the lingering silence, "We're not." Confusion washed through her features, "What?"

"We're not a thing," he said as if this could defuse the entire situation. She eyed him suspiciously and he shrugged, "Just because she comes to my apartment doesn't mean I'm in her pants."

"So you're with Shauna?" He scrunched his nose as if she had just insulted him, "No, I'm not with Shauna either!" Her heart skipped a beat at his unspoken confession about being with neither woman, she could feel heat crawl all over her skin. He laughed suddenly, "Shauna had been after my pants for quite a while now, though. She tried to kiss me, the drunk woman is crazy, I'm telling you."

Placing his hands on both sides of her head he grinned down at her. She felt reminded of her dream all of a sudden, the way he looked at her and licked his lips made her skin tingle in anticipation. "Why are you so interested in the status of my love life all of a sudden?"

Tris felt her cheeks warm up, she hadn't realized that it was so obvious and she mentally slapped herself that she had let herself ramble. She could have just acted as though she didn't care, but no, she had to let her feelings take over and make a complete fool out of herself.

The tears she had so bravely held back seconds ago stung her eyes again and she blinked as the tears slipped past her eyelids involuntarily. She couldn't hold eye contact anymore and looked down which was almost impossible because he was so close.

Eric frowned and lifted her chin so she had to look at him again, "Are you crying, Tris?"

She cleared her throat and brushed away the tears quickly. Still not able to say anything she just stared right back at him.

"Why do I have the feeling that this is not about Lauren? Or Shauna for that matter?"

His thumb caressed her cheek and his fingertips grazed her throat gently. Tris leaned into the touch and wasn't sure on what to do now. He had stopped them from kissing the first time around, now he didn't make a move to kiss her, he just gazed at her with an unreadable expression. 

"Tris?!" 

Before she could blink Eric stepped away from her and Christina's voice rang across the hallway. "Are you okay?"

Her friend jogged over and she wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, "I'm fine, Chris!" She smiled at her approaching friend and looked at Eric who wore his usual scowl. Christina eyed him suspiciously but addressed Tris, "I saw Four running after you and after what I saw at the bar, I thought I'd check on you."

Tris raised her eyebrows and looked over to Eric who was rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, he didn't come this way." Christina shrugged and took Tris' hand, grinning she tried to pull her back to the pit, "Then let's go dancing again!"

Eric turned to leave much to Tris' disappointment, "See you in the office, Stiff!" he called and waved, "No sparring tomorrow and don't drink too much, I need your brains for a change!"


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, so this one wouldn't leave me alone and I have a rough outline of what's to come in the next chapters plot-wise. The content is coming pretty easily to me right now, that's why you get this little heart to heart, so to speak and it hopefully explains a little bit of what's going on for Eric.
> 
> For those of you who are waiting for the next chapter of Last Resort, it's in the making, seriously. I just have a bit of a rough time right now in my private life, so I don't want to ruin it by just pushing out anything. I hope you understand.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy and tell me what you think! :)
> 
> I do not own Divergent or any of its characters.

Tris was tired. Eric had left the pit pretty early so Christina had insisted on staying a little longer. She couldn't deny that she was having fun in the end. Knowing that Eric wasn't with Lauren had lifted her spirits. Nonetheless Christina had tried to hook up her friend with anyone. At one point she even had suggested Uriah who obviously had found the idea entertaining but Marlene was fuming next to him and Tris had to calm down Christina.

When she entered the office Eric just came out of her office with a bunch of papers which looked like the reports she had been working on the last days. Before she could say or do something he gestured for her to follow him. It was a simple wave of his hand but the way he did it made her roll her eyes. He went around his desk and pointed at the chair, she eyed it and noticed it was her chair and his chair was right next to it. She looked up at him and hesitated for a moment.

"Sit down," he commanded, "I don't bite." Tris moved past him and could have sworn that he added a mumbled 'not yet' under his breath.

She looked at the screen and eyed the stacks of paper on his desk curiously. When he sat down next to her she looked at him with a raised eyebrow and he scooted closer.

"At the end of the week we'll have an important meeting with the other faction leaders. Until then we're expected to create a presentation of all the activities of Dauntless," he explained and pointed to the stacks of paper, "These are all reports from all leaders. We have to go through all of these, divide them up into categories, note done numbers and then sum everything up in a pretty presentation," Eric concluded and Tris nodded slowly. "Okay, let's do this," her eyes lit up in excitement for the new task, "How, I mean, what's the categories then?"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, "Well, that's up to us." Tris' shoulders slumped a fraction and she looked at him with both her eyebrows raised. "You have worked with these reports the most over the last couple of months, how would you divide them into categories so the other leaders will get an idea of what Dauntless did over the last year?"

Tris gulped, she wasn't used to having a say yet in such matters, Eric did most of the work and she was stuck with paperwork after everything was done. "I'd say, divide them up into factions," she began and thought for a moment, "And then split these up into severity of the incident and what kind of an incident occurred. And definitely how quickly Dauntless were able to solve the situation," she smiled triumphantly. Her smile faded momentarily though when she looked at Eric whose face didn't show praise.

But after a few seconds of thinking he nodded, "Let's do it then."

After some time they were through the first stack and Tris sat back with a huff, "Why don't we do this already while we're working on the reports? I mean, we could easily track this electronically, right?"

Eric pushed the papers into neat stacks, Tris watched him quietly and wondered briefly whether he was tidy like this with everything. He lifted his eyes up to look at her and a smirk spread across his face that made her heart tumble in her chest. "See, I told you I'd need your brains today."

Tris blushed and waved her hand dismissively, "Don't tell me you never thought of that before." He shrugged, "No, I haven't," he smirked, "But now you can think of a suitable concept! For now," he tapped the screen, "You'll key in the numbers while we're going through the reports."

They were almost finished with sorting through the papers and had been silent for most of the time, leaving Tris to her own thoughts. She had thought back to yesterday and couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling of wanting to talk about it.

"Eric," Tris hesitated and squirmed a little under his eyes, he stood on the other side of the table and looked at her in expectation, "Can I ask you something?"

His eyes flickered between her and the papers, "Depends," he replied curtly which didn't help her hesitation at all. She sat down and he went around the table to sit down next to her. He leaned towards her with his elbows on his legs, looking at her expectantly. They had been working together for the entire day, their hands had brushed several times but now that his full attention was on her she wasn't able to articulate what she wanted to ask. Yesterday he had been so close to her, she had thought he'd kiss her then, yet he didn't and she wanted to know why.

She shook her head to clear it, she needed to know and she needed to know now. "Why didn't you... you know, yesterday... before Chris found us..." she stumbled through the words, not finding the right ones and a smile lit up his handsome features. He licked his lips and looked up briefly to the upper corner of the room before he locked his eyes with hers with a serious expression, "Let's not talk about this here," he murmured. She looked at what he had looked at and eyed the camera which was silently watching them.

He got up abruptly and gestured to the papers, "Let's finish this and call it a day. We can start on the presentation tomorrow." She nodded and they set to work again.

A rush of excitement warmed her cheeks and sent a cold shiver down her back at the same time. She couldn't wait for them to be private enough to talk about yesterday. It briefly crossed her mind that it could be something she wouldn't want to know or make her sad but she brushed the thoughts away quickly.

At the end of the day they left the office and went back to their apartments. Eric nudged her shoulder playfully, "My place or yours?" Tris blushed and nudged him back, "My place, I make the best hot chocolate in all of Dauntless." He grinned and followed her to her apartment. She let him in and went straight to the kitchen. He tossed his jacket over hers on the rack next to the door and sat down at the small table.

She set to work and felt his eyes on her back the whole time. He remained quiet and when she looked at him over her shoulder he smiled. "So?" she inquired trying to sound casual about it and froze when she heard him shuffle to his feet. Pouring the hot chocolate into two mugs she didn't dare look up when she handed him his mug.

Blowing on the hot liquid she sneaked a glance at Eric who drank from his cup and was looking down at it seemingly contemplating on what to say. He let out a long sigh and took a big gulp from the chocolate, "You know how Max can be a real pain in the ass, he's absolutely the best in whatever he does but he can be really strict about everything." His eyes flickered briefly to her to see her nod in agreement. "Well, he mentioned several times before you.. before this round of protégés went into training that..." He obviously struggled with what he was going to tell her and Tris listened intently. It wasn't like him to not be blunt about what he had to say and it worried her. "Neither of us is supposed to start something with any of the protégés, Max doesn't approve of it and he was very clear about it."

He looked up at her and Tris nodded unable to say anything. She suspected that there was more and waited for him to continue. He raised an eyebrow at her, "This will stay within these walls," he warned, "Got it?" Tris suddenly felt really warm and wasn't sure whether she wanted to hear the secret he was about to tell her. "Lauren..." he trailed off and gulped looking away, "Max would be absolutely furious if he found out," he shook his head, "After the event with all the leaders  
Lauren slept with Max' protégé."

Tris' eyes widened at the confession and her mind tumbled at the mixing emotions. On one hand she was now pretty sure that Eric didn't have anything with Lauren but on the other hand she feared what this would mean for herself. He sipped at the chocolate and chuckled all of a sudden, "When I moved into leadership training she became a full-fledged leader and..." he hesitated and grinned bitterly, "We had a one-night-stand. Max found out and threatened to kick us out if this didn't stop."

Tris gaped at him, she knew they had a past but never knew the details. She watched him finish drinking his cup and it seemed he didn't have to say anything else. Tris set down her mug and looked at him in confusion, "So... Lauren was with you the last nights because..."

"Basically she needed a shoulder to cry on. She was drunk and Jason didn't exactly fight her," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "She needed a little distraction..." His eyes locked on hers and widened, "Not that kind of distraction though!" Tris chuckled at his immediate rectification of what kind of a distraction he could have meant. He looked at her opening his mouth to say something but closed it again biting his lip.

The silence between them stretched so she raised her eyebrows at him, "I take it you don't want to do the same mistake again?" He rubbed his face and sighed heavily before he took her hand and sat down. Pulling her sideways into his lap he wrapped his arms around her loosely, looking up at her he set his lips into a thin line, "I'm sorry, Tris."

"I really like you," he whispered and her heart skipped a beat at how openly he admitted it. His hands wandered subconsciously to her waist and squeezed a little. "But I'll try to keep my distance from now on until your training is over." His hands betrayed his words as his fingertips brushed the bare skin between her shirt and her pants. Tris had to suppress a sigh and looked down at his worried eyes. "I hope that's fine with you," he almost pleaded with her and she couldn't help but smile at this new soft side of his that she had never seen before.

She huffed sadly, her shoulders slumped and she cast him a wry smile, "What am I supposed to say if my superior says no?"

He hugged her closer and buried his face in the crook of her neck, "What would you do?" His voice was desperate and his breath was hot against her skin. Tris had to blink to focus on the situation at hand and rested her hands on his shoulders. Her fingertips brushed lightly over the bare skin of his neck, she smiled when he shivered. She was surprised at how steady her voice was when she spoke, "I would listen to my heart."

It seemed to lift a bit of the weight off his shoulders, he relaxed and she felt his fingers draw lazy circles on the small of her back. Heat rushed up her neck as she felt him place a soft kiss to her throat hesitantly. "Eric, what are you doing?"

He placed another kiss to her throat and mumbled against her skin, "I'm listening to my heart." Tris drew a shaky breath and tightened her grip on his shoulders as his lips brushed softly against her neck, "What does it say?"

"That I need a taste," the low tone of his voice sent goosebumps all over her body and she leaned into his touch. He placed a few more kisses to her neck and then leaned back to look up at her. She felt her eyes close at his sensually parted lips and wanted to have a taste as well. But he leaned further away and furrowed his eyebrows, "You make me feel special in a way that no one ever made me feel yet. You seem to be one of those rare people who can actually see right past my attitude. I know I'm not an easy person to be with."

Tris let out a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding and tried to smile at him. "I want to be with you so badly, Tris, but I also don't want to mess this up," he gulped nervously, "Max told me he wants me to follow in his footsteps as the head of Dauntless."

She jumped off his lap with a huff and scowled at him, "This is about your career then, huh?" He jumped up, towering over her he glared at her, "No!" His face softened immediately when she flinched away from him and he took her hands in his gently, "Not primarily," he admitted, "Listen, I don't want neither of us to end up factionless because of this!" Cupping her cheek he stared at her working his jaws nervously. Hugging her to his chest he kissed her forehead softly before he stepped away from her.

"We'll figure something out," he promised before he left her apartment leaving Tris more confused than she had been before.


End file.
